US- President Trump is in Japan for four day economic conference, after which he will visit Britain. Trump is expected to hold talks with Turkish president Erdogan during the conference and may even arrange a summit with him to resolve US Turkish issues and lure Turkey away from her relationship with Russia.

02:00 PDT: Israel- Massive demonstration for democracy planned for this evening. Now hat the Netanyahu agenda against the judicial system has been revealed public opinion is turning against Netanyahu.

Syria- Since May 21 in the battle for the settlements of Kafr Naboudeh and Huayz in the Hama governorate, the Syrian government army has destroyed 350 terrorists, five tanks, one armored infantry carrier, 27 pickup trucks with heavy machine guns, two ‘jihad cars’ and three multiple missile launcher systems.

Terrorists build up for new battle: Major General Viktor Kupchishin “Over the past two days, more than 800 militants, at least seven tanks, three armored infantry carries and 15 pickup trucks with heavy machine guns have been deployed to the southwestern part of the Idlib de-escalation zone. According to reconnaissance data, terrorists are planning to use from two to four car stuffed with explosives and driven by suicide bombers and could use chemical weapons in the new offensive on the Syrian army,”

24 May 14:00 PDT: Syria- The terroristsare building up towards a major counter attack including the use of chemical poisons on the Idlib periphery. Syrian troops are massing to open a second front near Kobani.

10:30 PDT: Mideast War- US President Donald Trump has notified Congress of plans to send a first wave of 1,500 reinforcements to the Middle East. The extra personnel are expected to be engineers with the task of upgrading facilities and defenses on US bases, which would be in preparation for war.

Israel- President Rivlin is indicating that Israel will go to elections if the deadlock in establishing a governing coalition continues.

05:00 PDT: Israel- If Netanyahu can tell president Rivlin by Wednesday evening “I succeeded in forming a government” he can technically continue negotiations up to the following Monday, because the cabinet must be presented to the Knesset within a week after Netanyahu visits Rivlin, and coalition agreements must be submitted 48 hours before they come to a vote.

Syria- Terrorist forces are engaged in a desperate fight to maintain their mountain top defenses to prevent a Syrian break out onto the Al Graab plain. So far all Syrian efforts to liberate Kobani have failed but the terrorists are suffering heavy losses.

03:45 PDT: UK- The British Prime Minister Theresa May resigned today, effective June 7. A race for party leadership will begin one week after her resignation.

23 May 08:30 PDT: Israel- Firefighters are working to extinguish a number of fires near the Gaza Strip, some of which were caused by balloon-borne incendiary devices. Palestinian media is reporting that the Sons of Zoari group has launched hundreds of arson balloons into southern Israel from Gaza today.

07:30 PDT: Israel- Strong opposition to Netanyahu is beginning to rise in a significant faction of Likud over plans to override the High Court to save Bibi from corruption charges.

Arson by Settlers Video– Israeli settlers set fire to West Bank fields near Asira al-Qibliya, Urif and Burin villages video. Another video showed settlers at Yitzhar fields, lighting fires that quickly spread. (Haaretz+, B’Tselem+VIDEO, Maariv and Times of Israel)

Huge fires are raging across central Israel and the Jerusalem Hills. Firefighters grappling with the flames are evacuating homes at Kibbutz Harel, Mevo Modi’in, Gimzu, parts of Maccabim and Kfar Daniel, and closed Highway 443 to Jerusalem. The communities of Mevo Modiim, Gimzo, Kfar Daniel, Shilat, Kfar Ruth, Neot Kedumim have been completely evacuated. Several buildings have been damaged by fire in the Nachshonim Forest and smoke victims are being taken to hospital. The fire brigade has declared an emergency call-up for all its teams.

Firefighters are battling a large fire in the Ben Shemen Forest near the central city of Modiin. Some residents in the nearby communities of Kfar Daniel, Mevo Modiim and Gimzo were evacuated from their homes and Route 443, a key road linking Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, was closed. Witnesses said homes were on fire in Mevo Modiim and Kibbutz Harel, which lies southwest of Modiin.

02:30 PDT: Gaza- Today Hamas released a list of ceasefire promises which Israel has so far failed to implement giving Israel one week to keep them or face renewed violence and rocket fire.

22 May 14:45 PDT: Gaza- The calm between Gaza and Israel is breaking down as waves of fire balloons are falling on Israel and Israel is beginning to respond. Islamic Jihad is an Iranian proxy and events in Gaza are escalating again in response to the US threats on Iran and Syria. This use of proxies could bring an Israeli war on Gaza ahead of any all out war on Syria and or Iran.

11:00 PDT: Israel- Lieberman close to agreement to join Likud coalition. Lieberman would again be defense minister, this time with full authority to destroy Gaza militias and make war on all enemies of Israel. Even if they reach a deal a governing coalition would still be dependent on four other parties joining.

06:15 PDT: Israel- In light of the possibility of new elections being called for the end of August or in September; Israel’s attorney general on Wednesday extended until October the deadline for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s pre-trial hearing on corruption allegations, but rejected a request for a 12-month delay.

Syria- Terrorist forces are being thrown back with heavy losses in their attempted offensive and Syria Russia are now pounding Idlib from the air.

01:00 PDT: Syria- Jihadists launched a counter offensive on the towns of Kafr Naboudeh, al-Jayyid, Sharanaz, al- Hawija and al-Hawash in the country’s northwestern region on Monday. Two major waves of attacks have taken place since then with very heavy terrorist losses.

02:45 PDT: Syria- After a three day ceasefire to prepare and several previous probing attacks, Syrian and Hezbollah troops backed by Russian Special Forces are ready to launch a powerful move to liberate Kobani. Kobani is on a hill top dominating the terrorist heartland of the Abu Graib plain of Idlib province.

11:30 PDT: Mideast War- The United States military continues it buildup to seal the Syrian Iraqi border to supplies and reinforcements from Iran to Hezbollah / Syria. A new military convoy from Jordan to the Ayn Al-Assad Base in the Al-Anbar Governorate of western Iraq was reported by the Al-Maaloumeh News Agency on Sunday.

According to the Iraqi publication, the U.S. dispatched troops and a large amount of state of the art weapons to the border Ayn Al-Assad Base. The number of U.S. forces deployed in the Ayn al-Assad and al-Habaniyeh Iraq bases on the Syrian border has increased to 10,000 US combat troops, all supplied with the state-of-the-art weapons and military equipment.

19 May: 11:45 PDT: Mideast Peace Plan- The first half of the plan which covers the economic portion, will be released at an international summit including the Palestinians in Bahrain in late June. The political portions will be announced at a later date when the conditions are suitable.

03:45 PDT: Breaking-The Syrian army is in a fierce battle for Kobani with the Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham and the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP; Terrorists from central Asia) militias; the militants are now accusing the Syrian Arab Army of using chlorine gas against them. Update 07:00 PDT: The battler has ended with no advantage for either side.

02:30 PDT: Mideast War- A summit of Arab states and Gulf leaders to discuss the looming US war on Iran is planned for May 30 in Mecca. Iraq officials leak that Iran has set up mobile missiles inside Iraq aimed at both Israel and the Gulf States. Iran recently announced renewed new nuclear activities to begin in about six weeks from now and the US has been surging power to the region,

Turkish backed rebels have been surging to attack positions in northern Syria to be at the ready to take advantage of the situation. The Turkish backed forces are being deployed for a thrust across northern Hama and into the Assad power base at Latakia.

Syrian forces are taking out the Al Qaeda militias and an Israeli war on Hamas Hezbollah Syria is now close at hand, which with the US destruction of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards will open the way for Turkish backed forces to overthrow the Assad regime.

The Turkish backed Euphrates Shield forces are being redeployed from the neighboring province of Aleppo, where they previously led the attack to capture the Afrin region from the Kurdish-led People’s Protection Units (YPG). Remember that TheShiningLight has been posting this scenario for well over a year.

The Likud partyis now sharply divided between justice loving moderates and the far right extremists who want immunity for Netanyahu from the corruption charges he faces. A pretrial hearing is now set for 10 July after which a decision will be made on scheduling the cases for a full trial.

If Likud fails to form a governing coalition a new election is likely to be called and Likud will have to quickly hold a new leadership election and party primaries which could split the extremists and moderates in Likud. Such a split would allow the Blue and White to win the most seats and then form a peace making coalition with the New Likud moderate faction.

The Labor party executive will meet later this week to set a date for selection of new leadership and party primaries to fight the next election. Present Labor party leader Gabbay will not seek reelection as party leader. The dates are being moved up due to the increasing possibility of a new election call as the Likud coalition talks are still in deadlock with only ten days left.

18 May: A Blessed Sabbath for All God’s Faithful! Today is the fourth Sabbath after the Wave Offering.

17 May 13:30 PDT: Syria- Air defenses have engaged incoming missiles striking Damascus in suspected Israeli missile attack from the Golan. Several explosions have been heard.

07:00 PDT: Ukraine- Zelenskiy is to be sworn in as president of Ukraine on Monday.

Economics- Trump delays his trade war with Europe and Japan by six month, while he focuses on Iran and China.

With coalition talks deadlockedresistance is forming within the Likud over Bibi’s desperate attempts to secure immunity from prosecution on corruption charges and his attacks on the Courts. Ultimately, especially if the extremists cannot form a governing coalition, Likud could split between moderates and extremists bringing a peace making government with the Blue and White.

Brexit-Labor withdraws from UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit talks. The talks won’t succeed because her government is on the verge of collapsing and there could be a new leader within weeks. On withdrawing the Labor party said that there was “zero chance of reaching an agreement” at present. “We can’t do a deal with a government that is about to collapse. May’s Brexit plan is set to be voted down for the fourth time in early June bringing May’s resignation.

16 May 03:00 PDT: Gaza- Israel has reducedthe fishing area off Gaza to 5 nautical miles. This breaks the ceasefire agreement and puts the calm in jeopardy. Update 04:00: The IDF has denied the report.

Syria- Syrian forces have liberated the terrorist occupied portions in Hama province and are now on the move against the terrorist area around Kobani in Latakia province. By month end Syria could possibly demolish the terrorist defensive line and be in position to sweep down into the terrorist heartland in Idlib province.

Mideast War- A number of US allies, particularly European allies, are balking at US plans for war on Iran. The US rhetoric and plans have pushed the region to the brink of war, making US allies very uncomfortable. European militaries are looking to rapidly disentangle themselves from the US military before a shooting war starts.

Mideast War- Due to the US threats on Iran, Germany Wednesday suspended its military operations in Iraq and ordered its troops there to withdraw. Germany and Europe reject US claims and deny any threat from Iran.

04:45 PDT: Mideast War- The US State Department on Wednesday ordered all non-essential American personnel to leave Iraq. This order was issued a few hours after Washington announced that US forces in Iraq had been placed on high alert.

01:15 PDT: Israel- Today is Nakba Day and large Gaza and Palestinian demonstrations are planned.

14 May 16:30 PDT; Mideast War- El Paisreports (Spanish) that Spain withdrew its frigate ‘Méndez Núñez’ from the US carrier strike group after the US blamed Iran for an attack on a tanker when the damage was obviously caused by a collision at sea.

10:00 PDT: Syria- The Russian air force is pounding Idlib as the Syrian army begins its advance into the Idlib province, liberating the jihadist-held town of Al-Hamra and nearby Al-Shari’ah air strip. They are also continuing to advance in the town of Huwayz.

07:00 PDT: Syria- The Tiger Forces are storming the town of Huwayz just south of the Al-Zawiya Mountains of the Idlib Governorate. The Syrian Arab Army has already entered the town and they are now pushing towards the last line of defense of the Al Qaeda terrorists.

04:00 PDT: Israel- High Court President Esther Hayut likens the Netanyahu plan to control the Courts with the Nazi take over of the German judicial system.

Syria- The Syrian Army is nearing completion of the liberation of terrorist occupied regions in Hama province. Russian President Putin has been on the phone with Turkish President Erdogan arranging a Turkish pull back of observation posts so that the Idlib offensive can begin.

01:00 PDT: Israel- Second election looms as Lieberman boycotts coalition talks, insisting that all his demands be met, which demands are not acceptable to the other parties. The move comes after yesterday’s Netanyahu bombshell agreement with the far right extremists.

Mideast War- Surprise! US blames Iran for damage to ships, threatens Iran by claiming to study military plans, as if they do not already have operational plans at the ready.

13 May 16:30 PDT: Trump Economics- President Donald Trump’s administration unveiled a new plan Monday to impose new U.S. tariffs of up to 25 percent on $300 billion of Chinese products, in a further escalation of the Trump trade war with China. Trump is also in a trade war with the EU.

At this time war is close to breaking out in the Middle East and even if the Strait of Hormuz is not closed, insurance rates and the price of oil will rise. This appears to be a contrived world economic crisis designed to bring in a new world economic agreement. This also seems to be contrived to create an economic crisis and then achieve a solution and a burst of prosperity along with Middle East peace in time for the 2020 US Presidential elections.

The religious partiesare demanding that a body of Rabbis be set up as a body with the authority to approve or reject any public service work proposed to be done on Sabbath.

Now that Netanyahu has revealed his agenda and with a regional war clearly looming, it appears that if he fails to form a coalition by May 28 he could be trounced by a corruption and war weary electorate in a second round of voting in late summer or fall.

Gaza- Qatar starts handing out cash allowances to hundreds of thousands of Gazans, made destitute by the Israeli siege, the blocking of which by Israel triggered the last round of violence.

Syria- Several more cities have been liberated on Monday: Tal Hawash, Hawash, Al-Jabriyah, Al-Tobeh and Sheikh Idris.

12 May 02:00 PDT: Mideast War- The USS Arlington Amphibious Warfare ship is joining the Lincoln Carrier Strike Group off Iran. The Arlington is carrying a large Marine force with their landing craft and helicopters, which force has been training for operations against Iranian coastal installations.

Syria- The Syrian army advanced yesterday liberating five more towns in Hama province and rolling all the way to the Idlib provincial border. They are now poised to drive Al Qaeda out of Latakia province as well, and then sweep through the Al Ghraib plain right up to Idlib city.

Friday’s alignment of 20 militias was short lived and is now down to eight, and they are insisting on defending their own areas and not moving any forces to help Al Qaeda. Local civilian leaders sensing liberation are now abandoning Al Qaeda and preparing to welcome the Syrian army. Already tribal leaders from Khan Sheikhoun and Ma’arat al-Nu’man are trying to hand over their areas to the Syrian Army in order to avoid the war destroying their cities.

srael-An Egyptian intelligence delegation is expected to visit Israel on Sunday to present the ceasefire offer from the Gaza militias which they received in Gaza yesterday. With only two weeks left to form a government an Israeli response could be delayed until after the final governing coalition forming deadline of May 28th.

UK- As Britain’s two main political parties are collapsing in the public trust a new pro Brexit party is taking the country by storm. Nigal Farage’s new Brexit is set to win the EU elections in a big way, and from there they pledge to block all EU reforms and programs up for future approval thereby bringing gridlock to the EU. This will limit the EU to a simple trading organization and force a French German move outside of the EU.

If there is a national election in Britain Farage could win a majority but be unable to form a coalition continuing the political crisis in Britain itself.

11 May: A Blessed Sabbath for All God’s Faithful! Today is the third Sabbath after the Wave Offering.

Mideast War- US B-52’s arrive in Qatar and other Middle East bases. They are the obvious tool of choice for saturation bombing of Iranian missile fields targeting Israel. The US is now engaged in an extensive and rapid build up for war on Iran.

Israel- Netanyahu faces a final deadline of 28 May for forming a government coalition, if he fails the president can ask someone else to try or call a new election. Bibi is seeking a delay in the July 10 hearing on his three corruption cases. Whether a government is formed this month or an election is called Israel may soon launch a surprise attack on Gaza to assassinate as many militia leaders as possible. As TheShiningLight has warned for over a decade such a war would inevitable spread to include Hezbollah, Syria and Iran.

01:00 PDT: Syria- A new alliance of over 20 Syrian terrorist groups is being formed, including Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham, Hurras al-Deen Group, the Free Syrian Army, and Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham in order to present a common defense against Syria.

Until now most of Syria’s operations have been directed against Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham [Al Qaeda] which has been gravely diminished. It looks like the Turkish backed militias might gain the ascendancy among the rebel groups over the coming weeks.

Trump- Allegations of Trump tax fraud on an immense scale. Donald Trump is fighting hard to prevent investigation or public disclosure of his questionable tax avoidance techniques which appear to include huge undervaluing of assets and massive overvaluing of losses.

9 May 06:30 PDT: Syria- The Jihadist defenses have collapsed allowing the Syrian Arab Army to liberate the towns of Tal Hawash, Al-Kurkat, Qal’at Al-Madiq, and Al-Tuwanah in northwestern Hama. The Syrian Army is now rapidly advancing on the key hilltop of Tal Sakher and its nearby town of Al-Hobeit. Once these areas are captured, the first phase of the Syrian Army anti terrorist offensive will have concluded. The Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham [Al Qaeda] is likely to concentrate their remaining forces in the large town of Khan Sheikhoun in southern Idlib which is the second phase objective of the Syrian army.

05:00 PDT: Syria- Al Qaeda attempted a counter attack last night and was thrown back with devastating losses. The Syrian Arab Army then liberated the key town of Qal’at Al-Madiq after the jihadist rebels of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham [Al Qaeda, this force consisting mainly of fighters from Central Asia] and their allies withdrew from the area. The path is now open for the Syrian army to break out into the Al-Ghaab Plain which is the heartland of the terrorists in the Idlib region.

8 May 14:00 PDT: Syria- The Idlib area terrorists have been hit hard and are reeling, and Syria, Hezbollah, Russia intend to press their advantage. Today Russian bombers are carrying out wave after wave of air strikes against Al Qaeda positions in Kabani, Syria.

Iran- Today the Trump administration announced new sanctions on Iran’s iron, steel, aluminum and cooper industries to cut off another major source of revenue after the US embargo on Iranian oil sales. President Donald Trump said his announcement “puts other nations on notice that allowing Iranian steel and other metals into your ports will no longer be tolerated.”

06:00 PDT: Syria- The Syrian army is advancing rapidly against the Idlib area terrorists, with the 42nd Brigade of the 4th Armored Division, the Syrian Arab Army liberating Point 1154 in the Jabal Al-Zuqayqat Mountains of northeastern Latakia. According to a source from the 42nd Brigade, the Syrian Arab Army is now in full control of Point 1154 after they forced the Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham [Al Qaeda] to retreat. Syria is now advancing to liberate the remaining areas under the control of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham in the Jabal Al-Zuwayqat region along with the areas they control in the key town of Kabani.

Syria has also liberated Kafr Naboudeh from Turkish backed militias and opened the way to liberate the historic town of Qal’at Al-Madiq, near the Idlib Governorate’s southern axis. As I have editorialized for a few years, when the battle for Idlib and the Iran situation matures, war will break out with Israel and the US coalition against Syria, Hezbollah and Iran. Then the Turkish backed militias will be in a position to counterattack into Latakia and remove the Assad regime. See our series on immediate future events. beginning with the 14 June 2018 article.

USA- The USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) Carrier Strike Group (CSG) has been diverted to rattle an American saber in waters near Venezuela on its way home from the Middle East and the US has surged the super Carrier Strike Group USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) to join the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) Carrier Strike Group in the Middle East. The US is also deploying attack aircraft including B-52’s in the Middlke East to threaten Iran and Syria.

03:00- PDT: Announcement Text– Iran gives the countries remaining in the nuclear deal 60 days to meet their commitments, especially in the banking and oil sectors. In case these countries fail to meet Iran’s demands during the two-month period, the Islamic Republic of Iran will, in the next stage, stop observing the limits on the level of its uranium enrichment, as well as the measures related to the modernization of Arak heavy water reactor. Whenever our demands are met, we will, to the same extent, resume the suspended commitments. Otherwise, the Islamic Republic will be suspending more commitments stage by stage.

It should be noted that the present British royals are German and are a branch of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, itself derived from the House of Wettin, which succeeded the House of Hanover to the British monarchy at the marriage of Queen Victoria to Albert Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The family name was changed from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to the English Windsor (from “Windsor Castle”) in 1917 because of anti-German sentiment in the British Empire during World War.

In addition the present Queen Elizebeth II married the German Prince Philip of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, a branch of the House of Oldenburg. A few months before his marriage, Philip abandoned his princely titles and adopted the surname Mountbatten, which was that of his uncle and mentor, the Earl Mountbatten of Burma, and had itself been adopted by Lord Mountbatten’s father (Philip’s maternal grandfather), Prince Louis of Battenberg, in 1917. It is the literal translation of the German battenberg, which refers to Battenberg, a small town in Hesse.

Some have mistakenly thought that the present British royals are descended from king David of Judah; but the bible counts all genealogies through the male line, and the scriptures clearly state that the line of David would end with Zedekiah and would not be restored until the resurrected David returned with Messiah the Christ to rule a once again united Judah / Israel. For a detailed study of the scriptures and promises concerning the Davidic Line see our “The Dynasty of David” article.

05:00 PDT: Israel- Memorial Day begins at sunset this evening, to be followed by Rabbinic Independence Day the day after.

Gaza- To obtain the pause Israel has agreed to implement what they had previously agreed to carry out, but reneged upon; within one week.”

The Turkish-backed National Liberation Front (NLF) is now joining in the battle in support of the Al Qaeda terrorists against the Syria army. This is putting stress on the relationship between Turkey and Russia which is aiding the Syrian army with intensive air strikes.

03:00 PDT: Gaza- Israel to allow fuel shipments and $30 million from Qatar to enter Gaza in return for calm, giving time for negotiations to form a governing coalition. The coalition talks have a deadline of May 28.

Turkey- Turkey’s electoral body ordered a rerun of Istanbul local elections last month which were won by the opposition to President Erdogan. The move pushed by Erdogan has generated angry protests today.

Syria- The Russian Air Force conducted over 25 airstrikes across western Idlib last night, resulting in the destruction of several installations belonging to Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham [Al Qaeda] and their jihadist allies. Multiple Russian airstrikes were later reported on southern Idlib, western Aleppo, and northern Hama as well.

6 May: New Moon- Today being the last day of a 30 day month, sunset this evening begins the first day of the second Biblical Month. The second Passover will be on 20 May, observed after the sunset ending 19 May. See the Biblical Calendar articles.

13:30 PDT: Israel- Highlighting the difficulties of forming a far right coalition government the religious parties are now refusing to even negotiate because of the government’s Sabbath desecration for Eurovision. Netanyahu is reported to be asking for a 14 day extension to May 28 to form a government, if he fails to do so a new election would need to be called.

09:00 PDT: Syria- Led by the 42nd Brigade (Ghiath Forces) of the 4th Armored Division, the Syrian Arab Army has begun shelling Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham’s positions around Kabani as they prepare to storm the town from the southern axis. Taking Kobani will cut off the remaining jihadists in Latakia from their Idlib terrorist comrades.

“In the past two days we have renewed the policy of eliminating [assassinating] senior terrorists, killing dozens of terrorists from Hamas and Islamic Jihad and destroying terror towers.” “We have changed the rules of the game, and Hamas understands this very well. However, it is clear that this is not the end of the campaign, and I therefore instructed [the IDF] to prepare for a continuation and I also intend to leave the armored and artillery forces around the Gaza Strip.

Today’s temporary cease fire is a simple time out which will give the IDF time to build up and Bibi time to try and form a government; it may also lull the Gaza militias, making them ripe for a surprise leadership decapitation campaign by Israel in the near future.

06:00 PDT: Syria- Syrian forces are making rapid advances against the Al Qaeda terrorists capturing the Tal Uthman hill and cutting off the militant supply route from Kafr Naboudeh to Qal’at Al-Madiq, two terrorist strongholds in the Hama Governorate. The Syrian Arab Army is now attempting to reach Kafr Naboudeh and secure the area south of the town.

02:30 PDT: Syria- The Syrian Arab Army’s long-awaited anti terrorist offensive backed by intense Russian air strikes in northwestern Syria is underway, with several units storming the militant defenses around the Hama-Idlib axis.

The Tiger Forces have captured the towns of Al-Bana and Al-Janabra, which are near the Kafr Naboudeh axis in northern Hama. The Syrian Arab Army is also working to secure the key hilltop of Tal Uthman. Heavy fighting is underway near the Kafr Naboudeh front; and along the Qal’at Al-Madiq axis.

5 May 10:00 PDT: Gaza- Hamas seeks ceasefire but Islamic Jihad will escalate its attacks. Meanwhile the Israeli security cabinet has ended its meeting with instructions to the Israeli Defense Force to continue its attacks and prepare for an escalation of hostilities.

Islamic Jihad is warning its people that all out war is at hand “The resistance is on the verge of a new level in facing aggression; a level that could lead to open war,” Mosab Al Braim told the Hamas-linked al-Risala daily. Remember that the Iranian plan is that once hostilities begin, as many Israeli’s as possible will be drawn into and tied down in Gaza before a Hezbollah offensive is launched in the north.

07:00 PDT: Gaza- At least one tank brigade and one artillery brigade as well as several infantry brigades including the Golani Brigade are being rushed to assembly points near Gaza. Added to the existing forces this is an extremely powerful force, more than enough to blitz the strip. The projectile total launched at Israel is now up to 600.

Syria- The Turkish army has evacuated their observation posts paving the way for the Syrian Arab Army to advance against the Idlib area terrorists in the Qal’at Al-Madiq area and the Al-Ghaab Plain.

05:15 PDT: Gaza- Hamed Hamdan al-Khodari, a Hamas commander and fund raising expert connected to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has been killed in an Israeli assassination air strike. Such targeted assassinations represent an Israeli escalation and Hamas could respond by increasing the range of its targets to include Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

As massive Israeli troop deployments head for Gaza Route 34 is closed to civilian traffic from the Yad Mordechai Junction to the Shaar Hanegev Junction in both directions and Route 232 is closed from Shaar Hanegev Junction to Saad Junction in both directions. Two Israeli’s killed and another critical.

Israel will be working to take out the Gaza militias as quickly as possible in order to try and complete the job before turning north to engage Hezbollah, but Hezbollah now occupied with the imminent Idlib offensive may be more ready to engage Israel than is thought. The war will ultimately spread to include a regime change in Iran.

Is it possible that the war which TheShiningLight has been warning was coming for the past 12 years, has now begun? This war is imperative to reset regional realities before the Western Establishment’s peace plan can be implemented.

0:33 PDT: Gaza- Yesterday’s fighting was triggered by the Israeli breaking of the ceasefire agreement by blocking a $30 million tranche of emergency Qatari aid on Thursday. This resulted in Islamic Jihad launching a warning shot out to sea and Israel responding with an air strike followed up by live fire on Friday border demonstrators, killing four and wounding 82, including 34 children, two journalists and three paramedics.

Rocket fire from Gaza began Saturday morning after the militia leaderships had left for Egypt with the cover story of holding negotiations, prudently protecting themselves from Israel assassination during the battle.

By Sunday morning Iron Dome had intercepted more than 100 of the 430 rockets fired in the previous 24 hours. One Israeli man was killed overnight in Ashkelon and several people were injured – in considering Israeli figures remember that Israel inflates the wounded numbers by including those who are only distraught as well as the actual wounded. The IDF has bombed some 200 Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets so far.

Syria- A Syrian operation to extirpate jihadist control in the Hama part of the Al-Ghaab Plain, the militant-held points near the government strongholds of Mhardeh and Al-Sqaylabiyeh, and the southern Idlib towns currently trapped between Syria on one side and Turkish controlled forces on the other is about to begin.

Leading the Syrian Arab Army’s offensive will be the elite Tiger Forces, Republican Guard, and 4th Armored Division which will attack separate points on the front. The Tiger Forces will be led by their Taha and Tarmeeh groups, while the Republican Guard forces will be from the 104th, 105th, and 106th brigades. The 5th Corps, 11th Tank Division, National Defense Forces (NDF), and Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP) will also participate.

4 May: Update 15:30 PDT: Rocket volleys hit Beer Sheva as Israel and Gaza continue to pound each other through the night. It is now out that Netanyahu triggered the battle by breaking his word and ending the deal for the latest calm by blocking the promised transfer of $30 million emergency assistance from Qatar to Gaza and cancelling the expanded fishing zone.

Update 12:15 PDT: Three hundred rockets or mortar shells have hit Israel so far today. Tomorrow schools will be closed including those in the important towns of Beersheba, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ofakim, Kiryat Gat and locales along the Gaza border. Iron Dome has intercepted 55 of the incoming rockets, focusing on the ones that would have hit populated areas. Like the rockets, the IDF operations over Gaza were still ongoing Saturday night after already striking 120 Gaza sites. Five Gazans are reported killed including a pregnant woman and her one year child.

Update 10:00 PDT: IDF to begin calling up reserves as soon as Sabbath ends. 70 Israeli air strikes on Gaza so far.

Update 08:45 PDT: Rocket strikes are continuing and have expanded to the Lachish region (36 mi NE of Gaza) – targeting the towns of Kiryat Malachi and Kiryat Gat – and still further northeast to Bet Shemesh (48 mi from Gaza) in the Jerusalem hills. 200 rockets have struck Israel so far and Israel has begun delivering hard blows to Hamas and Islamic Jihad striking at least 30 sites so far.

In addition Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi is meeting with top commanders and security officials for consultations on finalizing plans for a Gaza operation and will present the updated plan to Prime Minister and Defense Minister Binyamin Netanyahu tonight. The PM has called a meeting of the Security Cabinet for Sunday to take decisions.

Saturday afternoon, Hamas boasted that the next attacks would target the Ben Gurion international airport, the Dimona nuclear city, Ashdod port and the Haifa oil refineries while Jihad set its sights on Tel Aviv.

Breaking 03:00 PDT: Gaza- Following the deaths of four Gazans due to IDF fire yesterday over 100 rockets have now been fired from Gaza today. Dozens intercepted, no casualties so far. Areas around Gaza have been closed to the public and an urgent meeting of Israel’s Security Cabinet has been called.

A Blessed Sabbath for All God’s Faithful! Today is the second Sabbath after the Wave Offering. The new moon should be easily visible after sunset ending Monday 6 May, making Tuesday 7 May the first day of the second biblical month.

3 May 12:15 PDT: Syria- Fierce clashes broke out this evening in northwestern Hama as the Syrian Arab Army began launching probing attacks and advancing against the terrorists in and around Idlib province.

12:00 PDT: Turkey- Special Representative James Jefferies is on the verge of concluding a Grand Bargain between the USA and Turkey.

The deal would see Turkey accepting an American guaranteed buffer zone along the Turkish -Kurdish border East of the Euphrates, while giving Turkey a free hand to quash any Kurdish threats from inside Syria West of the Euphrates, and a Turkish free hand in Syria in regards to the Assad regime.

The deal would also see an end to American sanctions on Turkey, US economic support to stabilize the Lira and Turkish purchases of American weapons systems in exchange for a Turkish pull back from Russia.

The deal will separate Turkey from Russia and allow the Turkish backed militias to invade Latakia and overthrow the Assad regime and give Turkey dominance over a new Syrian government as well as place Turkey back in the Western orbit as per Psalm 83.

06:30 PDT: Gaza- Islamic Jihad warns that they will bombard Israeli cities if Israel strikes them. The heating of the Gaza region appears to be ordered by Iran in response to today’s implementation of intense US oil sanctions.

03:30 PDT: Gaza- Delegations from the Gaza militias have been called to Cairo by the Egyptians for urgent discussions with senior officials to try and save the calm with Israel.

02:00 PDT: Gaza- Early Thursday, two rockets fired from the Gaza Strip hit the Sedot Negev and Shear Hanegev regions. The Palestinian rocket fire followed an Israeli Air Force strike against a Hamas compound in northern Gaza in retaliation for two incendiary balloon attacks over two days, which started fires in the grounds of Kibbutz Nahal Oz and a wood in the Eshkol Council region.

1 May: 14:30 PDT: Israel- An incendiary balloon from the Gaza Strip started a big fire at a wood in the Eshkol district on Wednesday, a day after a fire was started at Kibbutz Nahal Oz after a pause of weeks due to a ceasefire agreement.

08:00 PDT: Venezuela- Yesterday, the international oil company puppet Guaido tried to inject some life into his collapsing revolution by calling for an uprising and marching with a few hundred supporters on a Caracas air force base. Some soldiers joined him only to strongly protest later that they were obeying orders to accompany one officer and had no knowledge of what was going on having been duped. The numbers of demonstrators was hugely inflated by the western media.

Once the Syrian operation gets underway, Israel is expected to invade Gaza and when the Idlib terrorists are nearing their end an American strike could wipe out Syrian air defenses and allow Israel to attack Syria Hezbollah. The Turkish backed militias along with other foreign backed militias could then overthrow the Syrian regime while the US takes out the Revolutionary Guards and foments a revolution in Iran.

US/Syria- The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) super Carrier Strike Group has joined the USS Abraham Lincoln off Syria and the USS Stennis is visiting Marseilles France, also in the Mediterranean Sea.

Israel- Tensions with Gaza skyrocket to extreme levels with Hamas promising to fire on Tel Aviv during the May 14 Eurovision contest there if Israel continues to back away from her ceasefire obligation.

Syria- The Syrian military has received orders to commence operations to eradicate the Idlib area terrorists.

Israel- Israel has deployed rocket defense systems throughout the country and once Syria and Hezbollah are entangled in Idlib a short window will open for an Israeli operation to take down the Gaza militias without fear of an attack in their north. This opening will quickly pass and the war on Gaza will spread to include Hezbollah, Syria and Iran.

The US has prepared a made in America “grass roots” revolution and regime change for Iran, which will come once the Revolutionary Guards are devastated by bombing.

On May 2 an American oil embargo on Iran will go into effect. US, French, British and other allied forces are massing in the Middle East.

It would be a mistake to think that the coming wars will be a reprise of the Six Day War, it will take weeks probably months before they conclude; and still longer before new governments are put in place which are stable enough to make peace. Trump’s plan appears to be war this year followed by prosperity and a peace deal just ahead of the 2020 elections.

Israel- PM Netanyahu’s coalition talks have until 29 May including a possible 14 day extension, to form a coalition government. The Orthodox parties are proposing a solution to the Haredi Draft Law deadlock which would allow the law to be passed as is, a key demand of Lieberman’s party, in exchange for a law enshrining Talmudic study as a vital national interest. If this is agreed it would make scenario 2 below a viable possibility.

There are many possible scenarios but the two main probabilities are:

Bibi fails to build a governing coalition and new elections are held within three months, with regional war before polling day. This would put the formation of a new Israeli government in the 2019 autumn time frame at the earliest, while new governments would still have to be formed in Iran, Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinian Authority;

Bibi is able to form a coalition and fights his war, after which the coalition collapses over the peace plan or some other issue, and a coalition reshuffle or a new election is called at that time. This process could easily take another year or more.

Remember that regardless of wars and rumors of wars, political events and peace plans; the final and definitive sign that the onset of the tribulation is imminent is the setting up of a miracle working man (2 Thess) as Roman Pontiff in the Vatican.

When he is set up there will be a maximum of 1,335 days until Christ comes (Dan 12). Within about 75 days [1335 days minus 1260 days for the tribulation] after being set up he will go to the Temple Mount, which visit will trigger the tribulation beginning with the occupation of Jerusalem and war on Judea (Matthew 24: 15).

We will only know for certain that the tribulation is about to begin when this man is set up doing miracles and announces his plans for a visit to Jerusalem. It could be late this year, or late next year or even longer, and a Middle East peace must also be reached (1 Thess 5:3).

Personal Speculation: The tribulation will begin at God’s appointed time, yet I would not be at all surprised if it takes until late 2020 for events in the world and in the Assemblies to unfold, for a Middle East peace deal to be achieved and for the miracle worker to be set up bringing the great tribulation.